Best For Hardwood Floors?? - Cleaning Talk - Professional Cleaning and Restoration Forum

Courtneyscleaning · 11-05-2006, 09:15 AM

Hi,

I've owned my own residential cleaning business for 5 years. In that 5 years I have heard what to use and not to use on wood floors. We have always used Murphy's. Mainly because we clean lots of different types of flooring and with Murphy's we use it on everything with good results. Some customers provide their own cleaner for wood floors. We use the Wonder mop which works well, but I do have problems with it leaving streaks especially on dark hardwoods. Normally if I ajust the amount of Murpy's it takes care of that.

Just wondering what everybody else prefers and why. I do like the orange glow but I would have to have 2 seperate mops to do the bathroom floors (vinyl, tile, ect.) Thanks for any input!

Courtney

Courtney's House Cleaning

RogerG · 11-05-2006, 10:11 AM

look at www.ipproducts.com . Do a search for hardwood floor care. They have a micro-fiber mop with a cleaner that is great.

Roger

User430 · 11-05-2006, 03:29 PM

I have discussed this with several wood floor installers, 10 years ago I was told 1/4 vinagar to 3/4 water. Now I have moved to a very light solution of glass cleaner (I use Zep concentrated 1 capfull to 32 oz water ) along with a Microfiber mop, this is effective on all floors and very little streaking.

If a client prefers another cleaner, they are more than welcome to provide it for us.

Later, JP

**t.peterson** · 11-05-2006, 03:33 PM

Courtney

I have personally found that with the darker wood and laminate floors that the thing that works best for us and leaves the least amount of lint and streaks is a good microfiber mopping system.

She-mops (the ones with the cotton covers) leave lint and regular mops streak.

BTW - murpheys oil soap was orginally intended for non-finished floors made of wooden planks. Our floors now have poly-urethane on them and the soap in murpheys if not completely rinsed off will leave a haze that detracts from appearance as well as attracts dirt

FCPWLLC · 11-05-2006, 03:38 PM

Vinegar here.

sprintcar93 · 11-05-2006, 10:05 PM

Super Shine-All from Hillyard. Never had a complaint and have sold many bottles of it to customers. It is green and works on all types of floors not just wood.

Karen · 11-15-2006, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCPWLLC

Vinegar here.

Same here...but I dilute mine 60% water- 40% vinegar....with only a slightly dampened mop.

manmaid · 03-06-2007, 04:11 PM

Impressions Hard surface Cleaner

At Home Depot.. It's the only thing I've ever used and it is schweeeet.
Smells nice, dries fast, doesn't streak, cleans well. It is a little pricey @ $8.49 for 32oz. A little goes a long way and for the time it saves me it's worth every penny.

heavenlyhomes · 03-06-2007, 09:50 PM

I have tried alot of things but everyones floor is different. The natural floors without poly-finish Murphys works well. The floors with poly we use vinegar. However the problem I always have is the homeowners somtimes want us to use what they have and most of them use the squirt and mop and I hate it! But they still want it even when their floors still look bad.

**t.peterson** · 03-06-2007, 10:12 PM

Ohhhhh the fine line that is walked when a customer believes that they know more than the professional

I have on numerous occasions told a customer that if allowed to clean "my way, with my products" and they don't like it that I will 1) redo it with their products or their way and/ or 2) give them that part of the cleaning for free. Just to have the satisfaction of proving that after 21 years I truly do know what I am doing and the right products/ methods to use

CaptainJ · 04-26-2008, 05:26 PM

PF Hardwood Floor Cleaner and Polish are the best on the market when it comes to cleaning your floors to make them look just like they did the day they were installed!

www.palmettofloorcare.com

TailoredMaid · 04-26-2008, 09:50 PM

I use Bona floor cleaner on hardwood and laminate. I also insist on microfiber mops.

Torrey

Alpine Cleaning Services · 04-26-2008, 10:48 PM

I have old hardwood floors in my own house and more & more of my clients have new ones too. I was told that vinegar and hot water are great but you need to add just a small dash of soap. It breaks up the chemical bond of old cleaners and dirt. We use all natural soaps, the brand varies, and just a small amount is all that is necessary. But that seems to lift off the dirt without leaving residue. I have been happier with that than anything else I have used, personally or professionally. I used Murphy's cleaner for a while and found it really dulled the finish. I had not heard what an earlier post said about it being meant for unfinished wood floors but that makes sense to me!

SunSet · 01-06-2009, 12:19 AM

If you are cleaning the newer hard wood floors, polyurethane finish, Torrey is the only one that has not voided the warranty on the wood floors.

Using anything except Boni Ami or Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner voids the warranty on the floors.

My bottle of Mop n Glow ended up costing me $1000's.

I had to replace polyurethane coated wood floors in a home. Because of my ignorance in today's changing society of wood and stone care I almost lost the shirt off my back.

TailoredMaid · 01-06-2009, 08:23 AM

I did my research, can you tell?

I tried the Bruce Hardwood floor cleaner and found it to be more expensive. I can buy the Bona cleaner in bullk easily.

Just to clarify, it's not Bon Ami (the mild abrasive) but BONA hardwood floor cleaner. Those two are similarly named but give significantly different results.

As much as I hate to hear that someone had to learn the hard way with cleaning floors (and being an expensive mistake!) I appreciate that you shared your experience to help others avoid that same problem.

SunSet · 01-06-2009, 08:55 AM

Quote:

not Bon Ami (the mild abrasive) but BONA hardwood floor cleaner

You are right Torrey. Bon Ami was on my mind due to another thread. Thank you for correcting my mistake.

Quote:

I did my research, can you tell?

I learned my lesson well.

You can't ask your buddy or another cleaning company (that is where I was taught to use Murphy's Oil which is also a big no-no) or employees at Home Depot/Lowes.... ask an expert. Take the time to go to business specializing in the products. I would have been making really good money if I divide the time it took me to go see a specialist vs the money I had to hand out for someone elses hardwood floors.

Another area I see mistakes being made is with marble. Many clean marble with vinegar - this is a huge mistake - for more info http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/clean-marble-floors.html . Do not clean marble with any product that has acid. You may be buying your customer a new marble counter top.

ReflectionsCleaning · 01-15-2009, 02:20 AM

I used to use Murphy's...but honestly it leaves a build up on floors after a while and if your client uses another product in the meantime it can cloud the floors.
I prefer vinegar and water, or pine sol. I leave it up to my client. But do use a micrifiber mop. I use a libman microfiber and it never streaks. I love this mop and recommend it to everyone. A lot of my customers have ran out to buy one due to how good their floors look.

TailoredMaid · 01-15-2009, 09:04 AM

I had an employee go against policy and use Murphy's on a hardwood floor. The client slipped on it due to the residue. I was VERY lucky the client wasn't hurt or sue-happy. He just wanted to make sure no one used it on his floors in the future.

I ripped that product right out of our caddies and never looked back on using it for ANYTHING.

Swerz · 01-21-2009, 12:13 PM

I think it depends on the type of hardwood floor, the best cleaning solution for the job.

Don't rely on water alone or a vinegar and water solution. Mopping with water will result in dingy-looking floors and won't-budge dirt buildup. Vinegar and water is not as effective as soapy water and—some suggest—may dull floors sooner.

TailoredMaid · 01-21-2009, 12:47 PM

Tap water is known to leave a cloudy film. Use distilled for the best possible outcome.